Chapter 308
“No way. That monster who lasted 14 years without guiding? Even if we kill this Guide, he’d survive for decades more.”
“Isn’t it strange? If she’s already been imprinted, why would another Esper, especially an S-Class, be drawn to her?”
“Who knows? Maybe because he has a guiding allergy, he was attracted to a woman whose guiding doesn’t work well.”
“That seems too insignificant, though.”
Even as I trembled and listened to their conversation, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
The people in front of me were Espers Outside the Line who had decided to live without being affiliated with the Center. There was no doubt about this.
After Arteon’s current government established the Center, most Espers voluntarily joined it because the Center promised regular guiding sessions for all Espers, who couldn’t be free from guiding.
However, there were a few Espers who resisted this system.
They believed that their abilities were a sign of divine selection and that they deserved to fully enjoy their powers. They opposed the Center’s system, which required them to protect those they considered inferior, and eventually disappeared.
Fourteen years had passed since the Center was established. Some Espers had surrendered and joined the Center, but there were still Espers who never appeared.
It was widely believed that they were behind the many missing Guides that had never been found.
Despite the current regime’s respect for Guides, the search for Espers Outside the Line was slow. They lived in isolated conditions, making it difficult to find clues.
But the strange thing was that there were already five Espers in front of me. They didn’t seem to live in isolation, as they knew things only insiders of the Center would know.
They even seemed certain about Claude’s guiding allergy, which wasn’t publicly known.
…How is this possible?
“Ugh, this is so frustrating. Why are we talking about this? If we want to check, we should just strip her and touch her all over. Even if her guiding stability is low, who knows? Maybe it’ll work if we keep touching.”
An Esper, annoyed, suddenly reached to pull up my loose shirt. I flinched and curled into myself.
Fortunately, his hand was quickly stopped.
“Still, don’t touch her carelessly. She’s for the VIP. If something goes wrong, it’ll be troublesome.”
“VIP or not… A Guide is a Guide. Do we really need to treat them differently? We can’t kill her because she might not be imprinted, and we can’t touch her because she’s for the VIP… It’s like we have a master to serve.”
Grumbling, the Esper reluctantly withdrew his hand.
Having decided to hold off on using me, they finally removed my shackles. However, I was still dragged out of the room, held by my arms.
Outside the room was a long corridor stretching far. It wasn’t a house made of soil and wood, common in border areas. It was a massive structure with thick concrete walls, resembling an old hospital or research facility.
Apparently, I had been taken far away while unconscious.
Along the corridor, there were many rooms like the one I had been in. Some doors were closed, some were open. I felt curious and wary eyes watching me from inside.
And in one of those rooms…
“…!”
I quickly turned my gaze away. Even though the door was half-open and people were coming and going, I saw bodies entwined openly.
But my reason for averting my eyes wasn’t just embarrassment.
Though I only glanced, it was clear from their expressions and gestures who wanted the relationship and who didn’t.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
My heart pounded heavily in my chest. My previously calm stomach churned with nausea again.
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